Released in 1977 when yakuza movies were at peak popularity both at home in Japan and abroad, Doberman Cop saw director Kinji Fukasaku reunite with star Shinichi “Sonny” Chiba for an American-style crime thriller that brilliantly combines martial arts, lowbrow comedy and blistering gunplay. Arguably the pair’s most pulpy and entertaining film, it’s finally being made available in the UK courtesy of our good pals at Arrow Video.
The film is based on the manga comic of the same name by “Buronson”, who also created the classic manga serial ‘Fist of the North Star’. It follows Chiba as a hardboiled police officer (think Japan’s answer to Dirty Harry) who arrives in the seedy heart of Tokyo’s clubbing district in search of a violent killer.
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Never before released on home video outside of Japan, Doberman Cop remains something of a cult oddity which fans of Quentin Tarantino and the action comedy B‑movies of the 1970s should definitely seek out.
Doberman Cop is released on Dual Format DVD and Blu-ray 26 June via Arrow Video.
